Plan Today. Invest for Tomorrow. Better manage your present and future with our dedicated and talented finance experts, who offer a wide range of investment management and financial planning services, goal-based financial strategy design, and asset allocation and management.

1. WEEKLY NEWSLETTER! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! Issue 31 / Volume 15
August 4 - August 11
Politicians
When you hear the word politician, do you tend
to cringe, grimace and roll your eyes? If you are
anything like us, we would guess that the answer
would be yes. With almost everybody that we
speak with, this seems to be the general
consensus. And it’s a damn shame but the
evidence is irrefutable. And it is on all levels from
the top to the bottom. Opportunistic behavior
devoid of conscience is the status quo.
We dare you to name five politicians that you
actually respect. Or even three. Could you do
that? Could you surprise us and come up with
three names? It is more than ironic especially
when you consider the fact how much power
these people have. They control our lives and
make decisions that seriously affect us on many
different levels. That being the case, wouldn’t you
think that we could come up with some better
quality people? Is it too much of a stretch to think
that we could come up with some people that we
could actually trust to make the right decisions?
One of the problems about all this is that we
become apathetic and lethargic and are not
inclined to get involved. Someone else will do it.
Or at least that is what we tell ourselves. We
believe that this is not the way it should be but we
are as guilty of this as anyone. And we are not
ashamed to admit it. And for these reasons, are
we able to see alleged politicians such as Donald
Trump breaking the mold. The public demands
change and this is what it can bring about.
This is also the reason why a person such as Sarah
Palin was able to make such a splash some years
back. We have been treated to so many incidents
of self-interested, corrupt and mediocre politicians
that it defies the imagination. And as long as the
trend continues, we the public will endeavor to
search for new answers and alternatives. We
welcome your comments and if any of you are
able to come up with five politicians that you
actually respect, don’t be shy in letting us you
know. We promise to print what you have to tell
us.
News from Europe
For the longest of time most of the news in
Europe is about Greece and their so called ‘debt
In This Issue:
General Thoughts: Politicians
US: Elections Again
Europe: Greeks and their debt
www.frasermackieltd.com

2. crisis’. Quite frankly we are sick of it and we
would prefer to move on. And we assume that
most of you feel the same way. We have not held
back about the way we feel and we stick to our
guns. We think that the amount of money
‘loaned’ to them is untenable and Europe and the
IMF will live to rue the day. It would be nice if we
were proven wrong but we seriously doubt it.
And given how everything has gone, how could
we realistically feel any differently?
Now, however, we have some more positive news
and this concerns two other countries in the
European Union that have also gone through
some major problems. Specifically we are
speaking about Spain and Ireland. Believe it or
not they are the two countries with the fastest
expanding economies in Europe. The numbers
speak for themselves and we are happy to report
the facts. Spain’s growth is currently running at
3.1 percent for the year while Ireland is churning
ahead at a 6.5 percent clip! This is great to see
and perhaps a sign of better things to come.
Ireland’s and Spain’s woes are well documented
and they also, like Greece, have felt the bite of
austerity. They bit the bullet, tightened their
belts, and apparently, have moved on. It goes to
show what can be accomplished with a positive
attitude and a vision towards improvement. We
would think that at least for the moment, they are
an extremely positive role model. Are you looking
Greece? Do you remember the doldrums that the
Irish economy had reached a short while back?
Not only were they able to pay back their loans
but they have continued to carve a positive path.
For Spain, it has been a bit rockier but we must
also remember that they have a much larger
economy. Their huge unemployment numbers are
well documented and we almost cringe when we
think about it.
However, now that they appear to be turning it
around, perhaps those astronomical numbers
may turn around as well. We can only hope.
We should also keep in mind the responsibility
and the huge burden of such a large Union.
After all, we are talking about the whole of
Europe. When we factor in the various
languages, cultures and economies, it is nothing
short of a miracle that everything has stayed
together more or less cohesively. There will
continue to be problems but we must all keep
our eyes on the bigger picture. At this point
especially given the nature of the world, could
we imagine a non-unified Europe? Keeping this
in mind, we are gratified to see improvement.
As for Greece, we can only hope.
Back to the Elections
As we all know, the debates will be starting next
week. It will be a sight to see and we are all
curious. What makes us even more curious is
how the venerable Donald Trump will hold up
under the pressure. He has, by his own
admission, absolutely no experience with this
venue and is, at least by his own standards,
surprisingly modest and deferential.
If the truth be told, he has nothing to lose and
has done much better than anyone would have
anticipated so far. We would assume that this is
because of a lack of competition. But there may
be other reasons as well. And perhaps for this
reason alone, we should give him more credit
www.frasermackieltd.com

3. The information contained herein does not constitute an invitation to subscribe or acquire in any way financial products and serves as specialized research
information only. It is provided as information only and is not intended to act as a financial promotion. As a general guideline, we do advise, even though we are
trying to assure accuracy in our material its content should not be relied upon by you solely without your own independent decision process. If you are unsure
about any specific investment decision, you should obtain appropriate expert independent advice. Due to financial markets volatility and unpredictability Fraser
Mackie cannot accept responsibilities for continued accuracy of its research material, and or content in perpetuity. The company gives no warranty as to
accuracy of the information and accepts no liability for any errors, misprints or omission herein (whether negligent or otherwise). All rights reserved.
Perhaps he is more than we think but if we judge
him by his family that will probably not turn out to
be the case. As for Rubio, he is basically an
unknown and even though he is undoubtedly
good looking, that will not be enough. His time is
not now but he may be a decent choice as Vice-
President for Bush. Speaking of Vice Presidents, it
is possible that trump could choose Palin. It is a
rumor that is currently circulating and Trump
definitely likes her. It could be his answer to
Hillary. In any case, time will tell and we shall see
what we shall see.
Conclusions for the Week
We were happy to write about Europe for a
change and actually talk about something
positive. We can only hope that this trend
continues. As for our politician column, it, too
interests us. The politicians in our lives have so
much power that is entrusted to them, that it
really boggles the mind. We wish it weren’t so
or rather we wish that we actually had
someone that we trusted and liked. Wouldn’t
that be a dream? In any case, next week will
hopefully be an interesting one as well. No
promises but we hope to come up with
something viable. Now we would like to take
the time to wish you all a great week. And, in
addition, we fervently hope that you are able
to make bundles and bundles of money!
than we do. He has said, at least according to us
and most of the civilized world, some incredibly
inappropriate statements. Most of us thought
this would be his end and that he would be
forced to bow out before the race even started.
This did not prove to the case and not only is he
left standing, but he is dominating the
competition.
In this age of political correctness, this becomes
even more of a surprise because people are so
concerned and wary of saying anything that
could be remotely construed as incorrect. We
have seen this so many times that this statement
is undeniable. We had the occasion to watch a
television show the other day and they were, of
course talking about Trump. One of the
moderators was laughing but said that he was
afraid to cross Trump. He said that he didn’t
dare. He said it in such a way that it was almost
respectful.
And perhaps this is the sentiment that is coming
across. He is saying things that most people
would never dare utter. And it is even possible
that they may believe some of his utterances
and are therefore considering voting for him. He
is unafraid and brash and not backing down
from anyone. People are forced to listen and
respect him for his guts.
Does this act have staying power and can it
continue for the next few months? May be yes,
may be no. The fact of the matter is he is
surrounding by such mediocrity, that he is able
to rise to the top. After all, does Jeb Bush
inspire you? Is there anything about him that
speaks of anything other than the ordinary?
Fraser
Mackie
LTD
-­‐
Wealth
Management
Group
Av.
Sarasota
#20,
corner
Abraham
Lincoln,
La
Julia,
Torre
Empresarial
AIRD,
11th
Floor
Santo
Domingo
Tel:
+1-­‐829-­‐9470219
/
info@frasermackieltd.com
/frasermackieltd.com